The Ferret
by Gryh
Summary: What happens when Zack finds a ferret in his apartment? Why does the ferret love Cloud? And why in the heck does it have a tattoo of Bahamut? ! Hiatus
1. Prolouge

Disclaimer: I don't own

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><p>The Ferret<p>

It was just a normal day at ShinRa. Well, it would be if it weren't for the suspicious lack of Zack. Cloud was wondering about this when he felt something soft on his ankle. He peered down cautiously, wondering if one of Hojo's experiments 'got loose' again. He breathed a sigh of relief. It was just a ferret.

"Huh" Cloud murmured as he plucked the furry creature off his boot "Where'd you come from?"

Just then there was a shout, followed by a thump, then Zack skidded around the corner at top speed, which is pretty fast considering he's a SOLDIER. Zack just barely managed to slide to a stop in front of Cloud. Zack grabbed the ferret and hugged it, speaking into the alarmed-looking creature's ear

"Why'd you run off like that, Bahamut? You know better." Cloud stared at the First-class squeezing a rodent for a few seconds, before speaking up.

"Umm... Zack? I'm not sure you should be squeezing it like that." Zack glanced up, then back down at the ferret, before loosening his hold, and Cloud could've sworn he heard it sigh in relief. The blond shot Zack a questioning look. To which he replied,

"Cloud! Nice to see you! Sorry about that, he keeps slipping away. Oh! By the way, this little guy's name is Bahamut. 'Cause see, he has a tattoo of Bahamut on his ass!" The tattoo wasn't actually on the clearly unhappy Bahamut's ass. The head of the dragon was up near his ribs, while the body spread across his side and the tail curled on his hip. "He's an albino." Zack added quickly.

"Zack..." Cloud began "Where, exactly, did you get a ferret, and why does it have a tattoo?"

"Well..." Zack started to reply "Believe it or not, I found him in my closet"

"WHAT?" Cloud shouted "How did he survive in that mess?" He had good reason to be surprised. Zack's closet was normally packed so full of stuff that it actually bent the door. "What were you doing in your closet anyway?"

"I was looking for something a friend of mine lost, and since my closet is where most missing things end up, I figured it was worth a look." the First-class shrugged with a look on his face that could almost be called a pout. Cloud stared at him a moment, then sighed.

"Look, I have to get to class. Keep an eye on the little guy until it's over and I'll stop by for the full story. Okay?" Cloud said to Zack who immediately agreed. They then took off in their respective directions, and wondering what later would bring.

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><p>Author's Notes: This is my first fanfic, so I can only hope I've caught all the mistakes. I know it's a little short, but I will try to make the next chapter longer. I welcome reviews with open arms.<p> 


	2. Chapter 1

The Ferret

What happens when Zack finds a ferret in his apartment? Why does the ferret love Cloud? And why in the heck does it have a tattoo of Bahamut?!

Disclaimer: I don't own

Zack was just settling down for a nap when heard a quiet knock on his door. He jumped up when he realized who it was, and yanked the door open, before grabbing the person, who squeaked, and pulling him inside.

"Hey Cloud!" Zack exclaimed while squeezing said cadet, who squeaked again "I've told a hundred times; just let yourself in. There's a reason I gave you a copy of my keycard."

"Za...ck... can't... breathe!" Cloud gasped, as he was smooshed against Zack's chest. The SOLDIER quickly let him go with an apology. Cloud sat down on the couch while he got his breath back.

"So... what's up with the ferret... anyway?" He asked between inhales, as said ferret came slinking out of the kitchen and climbed on his lap.

"Well...I guess I should start with why I was looking in the closet in the first place." Zack began as he plopped down next to Cloud, who Bahamut was now napping on "I've told you about Aeris right? 'Course I have. Anyway, I was visiting her and she told me that her trowel was missing. I was like 'what's a trowel?' 'cause I seriously had no idea, and she said it's basically a small shovel. So I told I would look around for it. Later I remembered that and decided to look in my closet, since everything seems to end up there and all. Do you know why that is? It's really strange-"

"Get on with it, Zack. Please?" Cloud interrupted before he started ranting, because he knew from experience that that would not end well.

"Oh, right. Sorry Chocobo" Zack apologized, receiving a glare for the nickname, before continuing, "So I opened the closet door and all this stuff fell out on top of me. I was crawling out when I felt something furry stuck to my butt." Cloud shot him look "So I reached down and pulled it off. It was a slice of moldy pizza. And I mean SERIOUSLY moldy! It was BLUE for Shiva's sake!" He could see the blond starting to retch, and figured he should hurry up, "So, I tossed that in the trash and started to dig through the pile. I had just gotten through about a foot when felt something bite me. It was that little demon!" Zack pointed at Bahamut accusingly.

Cloud looked down in time to see the ferret stick out its tongue at Zack, finding it extremely amusing. He ignored his friends sputtering and picked Bahamut up, holding the little guy against his chest and gently petting him. Cloud looked up at his friend with puppy eyes, and said,

"How could something this cute possibly do something like that?" to which Zack shouted,

"NO! Don't fall for it! And don't even try it, I'm the master of the puppy eyes!"

Cloud just made his eyes go wider and held up Bahamut under his chin. It was then that Zack realized; little fuzzy animals are the true masters of puppy eyes.

A/N:

Soooooo sorry it took so long to anyone who might have read! I just had absolutely no motivation. I might if I actually got some comments. *pout* I work better (at least quicker) under pressure. But many thanks to my first, and so far only, reviewer; FireWolfHeart!

Also, I started writing this chapter around midnight when I was planning to go to the gym the next day. I get motivated at the most inconvenient times.

I will try to make longer chapters but I make no promises.


	3. Chapter 2

The Ferret

What happens when Zack finds a ferret in his apartment? Why does the ferret love Cloud? And why in the heck does it have a tattoo of Bahamut?!

Disclaimer: I don't own

"It got away?! How!?"

"Through the vent."

"Dammit!"

It had been just over a month, and already Bahamut was as widely known for mischief as Zack. The ferret's most recent prank had been to steal a bunch of Scarlet's jewelry and hide it in a currently unknown location. The only reason he had been found out was because he was seen when coming back for more.

A message came in on Scarlet's PHS;

"_ferret passed cnf rm 4. prsuing."_

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><p>Cloud had just turned a corner when something furry took a flying leap onto his head. He just kept walking as it burrowed into his hair. He knew what it was. A moment later, a man, breathing hard, skidded to a stop in front of him.<p>

"Ha-have you seen... ferret... this way?" the man managed to gasp out. To which Cloud replied,

"Sorry, I haven't. But I'd check the cafeteria, there are a lot of hiding places there." The man didn't bother thanking Cloud, just took off in that direction. Cloud sighed, then continued to Zack's apartment, where he sat down on the couch and pulled the rodent out of his hair.

"What did he do this time?" He heard Zack ask as he came out of the kitchen. The blond shrugged, then looked Bahamut in the eye and made an inquisitive sound. The ferret squeaked cutely and grabbed its ears, then clicked a few times. Zack had no idea what that meant, but he knew that the two of them had somehow come up with a way of communicating Bahamut's meanings through simple gestures and sounds, so he stood by and watched, waiting for an answer.

"Whose? And where did you put it?" Cloud asked. Bahamut replied by putting his paws on his chest and sticking his tail out. That was one of the few gestures that Zack understood. It meant Scarlet and it was used frequently because she was one of Bahamut's favorite victims. After a moment, and a poke from Cloud, the ferret licked his paws, then opened his mouth and covered his eyes. Cloud got a slightly irritated look on his face and put Bahamut on the couch beside him, before turning to Zack and saying,

"He hid Scarlet's jewelry under the big freezer in the cafeteria." Zack couldn't help but laugh a bit before he managed to stifle it. Cloud had to admit, he did kind of enjoy seeing Scarlet so off her game. He was distracted by Bahamut trying to worm his way up Cloud's shirt, sending sending Zack into another round of laughter. The laughter just got louder when Cloud started to wriggle and reach into his shirt to try and get Bahamut out.

After a few unsuccessful grabs, Cloud just yanked his shirt off, making Bahamut flip up into the air, and land back on Cloud's head. Cloud sighed, then said to Zack,

"You text someone where Scarlet's jewelry is, and I'll Put B here back in his room." It wasn't really a 'room' room, just a nice-sized closet, really. A couple meters deep and slightly wider. In it was a cage, which was always kept open because its inhabitant could get out anyway, and it was just less work to not even bother. The cage contained a sling on the upper level, as well as food and water on the lower, and a purple plastic igloo.

Cloud set Bahamut in the cage, then, after giving the ferret a pat goodbye, went back to the living room.

"I'll see you later Zack. I've got a test mission tomorrow, and I need to get some sleep." Cloud murmured, then squeaked as he was suddenly swept into a hug. After a few seconds of near suffocation, Zack let go of Cloud, and wished him good luck.

On the way back to the barracks, Cloud heard a cackling sound. Frightened, he ducked into a side room, then peeked out a crack he left in the door. Just in time to see a hunched figure come around the corner. It had greasy black hair, and wore a lab coat. Cloud felt seriously creeped out, just by the evil aura the figure was practically oozing, and it got worse when he started cackling again. Cloud could remember Zack's stories, and some rumors, well enough to recognize this man as Professor Hojo, and decided it would be best to remain hidden.

Cloud waited a few minutes after the Prof. left his view before exiting the, thankfully, empty room, and headed for the barracks again at a noticeably faster pace, not wanting to be alone in the halls with the not-quite-sane scientist.

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><p>AN: Thanks for the review(s)!

Been a bit busy, sorry for the delay. I'll try to write more, but I make no promises. I only finished this chapter because my internet shut off. My chapters are slowly getting longer. Yay!

Worked a bit on cover art for this fic. Now all I need is a scanner.

Constructive criticism is welcome, but no flaming, or I might set Bahamut after you.


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